Enslaved: Marks of the Past
by The Batchild
Summary: Trip and Monkey have pulled the plug on Pyramid and freed the slaves. As they leave, they find a woman in hysterics - a woman Monkey never thought he'd see again. Her name is Core and she just wants to go home. Post-game. Monkey/Trip. Monkey/OC implied.
1. Chapter One: Pyramid Memories

I do not own **Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. **I do own Core and her back story and the parts of the plot that aren't in the game. This fic spawned largely from my dissatisfaction with the ending of the game. It was an awesome game and I didn't want it to end. So I decided to write a fic. It's rated for language and violence mostly, but also for some sexual scenes.

* * *

**Enslaved: Marks of the Past.  
**Chapter One: Pyramid Memories.

* * *

_This place sucks. This place sucks. This place sucks._

Core heard the same thing every time her feet hit the ground, the words taking on the rhythm of the quick pace she'd set for herself. She'd been stuck in the world of Pyramid's memories for almost two years and she wanted out.

At first, she'd tried to be optimistic and see the opportunities available. She'd tried to adjust to the world, to become one with Pyramid's memories, to be happy like everyone else. It really was a nice place. It was calm and quiet. At one point, Core thought she might have been happy. She'd met someone, tried to have a real relationship. That'd failed. She was too cynical for him, too concerned with what she had had before she'd been enslaved. She was on her fifth job. None of the jobs made her happy. None of her employers wanted her around, bringing down the mood of the place. Things had rapidly deteriorated for Core and she hadn't bothered to try and rebuild them.

The only thing that kept her sane was thinking about the world outside the memories and trying not to focus on how ready everyone around was to believe in the shiny, happy memories of Pyramid.

_This place sucks. This place sucks. This place sucks._

Core missed the danger, the fighting of the real world, of her old life. Pyramid's memories were incomplete. He'd just put the happy and good memories into this world. Since Core had arrived, there had been no war and hardly any crime. It was boring here in the New York of Pyramid's time. She missed running through the ruins of the old cities, climbing, exploring, fighting mechs. She missed the people she'd known, her family, her colony, the ocean.

_This place sucks. This place sucks. This place sucks. _

Core reached the steps of her apartment building and came to a stop. She doubled over, braced herself with her hands on her knees and sucked in deep breaths, trying to bring her mind out of the dark place. Running was the only thing that kept her focused. She ran every day, in the morning, before the sun came up, before the world started and she had to face the fact that she might be stuck in the Pyramid memories forever; before she had to face the shiny, happy people in their shiny, happy world.

Once her heart rate was suitably lowered, Core jogged up the steps, unlocked the front door, checked her mail and then jogged up to the top floor where her tiny little apartment was located. It was rather dingy and dark, since it located on the edge of New York and on the edge of Pyramid's memories of the place, but it was her sanctuary, the only place she was really happy in the Pyramid world anymore.

There was one large window on the wall beside the bed and a smaller window over the kitchen sink. The walls were the only place that showed anything about the personality of the person who lived there. They were plastered with sketches she'd done of her memories of the world she'd left behind: her mother and her younger sister, both of whom had died in a slaver attack; her father, who had taken her and retreated to an underground colony away from the danger of said slavers, a man determined not to lose his last remaining family member; her older brothers who fought to protect the colony; the places she'd grown up in, places she'd seen. And, on the wall beside the window, was a sketch of Monkey, the man who had taught her how to fight and the person she missed the most.

Core gazed at the sketch of the angry-looking man for a few moments before stripping down and walking into the bathroom and turning the shower on almost as hot as it would go. She stepped into the steaming water and let it soak her hair and relax her down to her bones. Core stood under the water for a long time after she was clean. When she had started to prune, she pulled herself out from the water and wrapped one of the fluffy white towels around her body, pausing as she did so to concentrate on her scars—she had learned a long time ago that if you didn't remember yourself the way you were, you could physically change. Core had watched several people she'd met shift, become what they thought was more beautiful. It freaked Core out. She liked her scars. They were a map of her life, of her own memories. She liked the way she looked.

After she had dried herself off, Core pulled on a pair of black pants and a bright blue tank top that made her blue-green eyes stand out and offset her blonde hair. She pulled her waist-length hair back and braided it to keep it out of her face while she was at work. Since she was currently a bike messenger, doing just that was a challenge. The wind was always blowing her hair all over the place and tangling it; she missed when most of her hair had been done in dreadlocks and impossible to mess up.

Outside and out back of the apartment, Core slung her bag across her chest, pulled on her fingerless gloves and unlocked her bike. She took off towards the dispatch office, the sound of her bike tires taking up the rhythm her feet had earlier that morning.

_This place sucks. This place sucks. This place sucks._

Just as she did every morning, Core rode to the diner at the intersection before the dispatch office and got her eggs and bacon and toast. After she had eaten, she rode to work and started her deliveries for the day. Core played the part—smiling and waving and doing the small talk—and she played it well, but her mind was always, always, always back in the real world. She moved through the deliveries, through her day without much thought, until she could return home eight hours later and be by herself; the way she liked it.

Core was well aware of how depressed she was and knew that she could work harder to get herself out of the hole, but she didn't want to. She just wanted, more than anything, to go home. To go back to her family. Her life.

_"Go on, put the mask on." _

Core jumped as the voice echoed through her mind. She looked around, cocked her head sideways, trying to locate the source of the voice; she didn't want to believe it was just in her head.

_"See what it is you have come to destroy." _

Core jumped again, spun around, still looking.

_"It's... beautiful."_

After hearing that voice, Core could no longer deny that it was in her head. The voices were coming from outside the Pyramid world. Core didn't know why she could hear the voices and she didn't really care. All that mattered was the owner of the second voice. "Monkey," she breathed; she was having trouble finding her breath. She'd never thought she'd hear Monkey's voice again. It had been so long...

The world suddenly went white. Core couldn't see. There was _nothing _to see.

Incredible pain shot through her back, along her spine and outward through her nerves. She was on fire. Core screamed and knew no one would hear. She felt as if she would explode.

_"Monkey... Did I do the right thing?"_

Core had the sensation she was falling, but it was distant, something she noticed in addition to the pain of having all of her nerve endings spliced with a knife. She kept screaming, loudly as she could. She screamed until her throat hurt and until she couldn't scream anymore. Images and faces started to flash by her eyes as she fell and Core was sure she was dying. That whatever was going on with the Pyramid World was going to kill everyone inside, everyone attached to the source. All the slaves were going to die.

She slammed into something hard and the intense pain vanished.

Core gasped, fresh, warm air flooding her mouth and lungs. She coughed, choked and rolled onto her back. She couldn't get a good breath. She started to hyperventilate. Somehow, she managed to climb to her feet and remove the helmet that had connected her to Pyramid, but she still couldn't get a good breath. Her vision was starting to go—sparks of light were dancing across her view. Someone slapped her on the back and she coughed up a hunk of black goo. Finally, _finally_, she was able to suck in a satisfactory breath. But she still didn't feel right. She tried to take a step and fell to the ground. She tried to focus on something, anything in the room but couldn't.

A flash of bright red caught her eye.

Bo, her younger sister, she had had red hair.

But Bo was dead. Wasn't she?

After spending so much time in the world of lies, Core wasn't sure what was real anymore. It could be Bo. It had to be Bo. Core righted herself and moved towards the red thing, coughing up more of the black goo as she moved. She stumbled, shoved some of the other slaves out of the way and pushed herself to run. Bo was walking with someone else. Core had to catch her. Core ran faster and started to cry.

She was back in the real world and her sister was here.

* * *

**Author's Note.**

So, interesting fact... Core is my only character with blonde hair. Huh. Wonder why that is.

For the record, the chapters in this fic won't be that long.

Enjoy!

**Next Chapter: You Again.**


	2. Chapter Two: You Again

I do not own **Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. **I do own Core and her back story and the parts of the plot that aren't in the game. This fic spawned largely from my dissatisfaction with the ending of the game. It was an awesome game and I didn't want it to end. So I decided to write a fic. It's rated for language and violence mostly, but also for some sexual scenes.

* * *

**Enslaved: Marks of the Past.  
**Chapter Two: You Again.

* * *

"Did I do the right thing?"

He shook his head, pulling the mask from his face as he did so.

"Did I do the right thing?"

The machine where Pyramid had been hook up was sparking, black goo leaking from all sides. The ruined husk of the ancient man was hanging by one wire, his skin covered in the black substance and his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth.

"Monkey... Did I do the right thing?"

Monkey finally looked at Trip and didn't know what to tell her. He had put the mask on—seen the word the so-called slaves were living in. It wasn't so bad... in fact, it was beautiful. It was bright and whole and quiet. There was no fighting, no mechs, and no horror. The people he had seen were holding hands, smiling and enjoying themselves. Pyramid had said they had jobs, marriages, families—real lives. Monkey couldn't deny the thought appealed to some part of him, but Pyramid had always been the enemy. Was he still the enemy? Was what he'd done wrong?

Had Trip done the right thing?

He just didn't know.

So he didn't say anything.

Monkey just turned and started walking back to the door. He very much wished he could tell Trip she'd been right, to tell her the world had been horrible and she was saving those people. He wanted to make her smile, but he just couldn't bring himself to lie.

The first thing he'd seen when he put the mask on was just white light. Before he could really be confused though, it resolved into a skyline—tall buildings, shimmering in the sun on an island surrounded by crystal water. There were trees and birds, just like there were in his world, but Monkey noted the absence of fear. The scene changed and he saw children playing in a park, running and laughing as their parents watched, smiles on their faces. Again, the view changed. Monkey was watching a group of people sitting around a table, talking and pointing at pictures. They laughed. The scene changed. A familiar-looking woman running down the street, a very determined look on her face. An artist, painting by the ocean. People swimming and lying on the beach...

He wished he could forget it all. There was no point in dwelling anyway—Trip had destroyed it—but more than that, he just didn't want to remember what could have been, what they had taken from all the people surrounding them; he wanted to forget that face. Monkey shook his head, trying to get the images out.

"Monkey?"

He looked over his shoulder at Trip, who had a worried look on her face. "Let's just go, Trip," he said, his voice sounding as tired as he felt. "I don't want to hang around here any longer."

"But..."

"I just want to get out of here."

"Okay."

He waited for her to catch up before he walked any farther. They made their way down the long, thin raised platform in silence, their heads swivelling, taking in what was going on in the depressions around them. Monkey couldn't grasp how many people were inside the building. There seemed to be an array of raised platforms stretching out in all directions, and between the platforms there were people, standing exactly the same distance apart and, when they'd been connection to Pyramid, they'd been completely still.

Currently, the slaves were pulling off their helmets, looking around and wondering where they were. The silence that had pervaded the massive building before was slowly crumbling as mumbling increased. There were cries of frustration, alarm, anger, happiness and other things Monkey couldn't identify. People were stumbling around, confused and disoriented while others still were running into the arms of loved ones they thought they'd never see again. People were calling out names of those they hoped to find. To his right, a young mother swept her son into her arms—a kid, just a kid and separated from his family for who knew how long—and an older couple embraced, weeping openly. To his left, someone screamed the loss of what they'd had, of their life in the Pyramid world.

Apparently, those who had been freed of the machine couldn't decide if they were upset or glad of their situation either.

Monkey couldn't help it—he looked sideways at Trip. She was slowly turning as she walked, mouth open and eyes scanning the massive crowd, looking for familiar faces—probably her friend Mark, who had liked bridges, or someone else from her colony. At the thought of Trip finding someone she'd thought she'd lost, someone she'd cared about, Monkey had to look. It was very unlikely that he would see anyone he knew, but when he had had the mask on, he'd thought he'd seen...

No, it was impossible.

Monkey didn't look. He just kept walking, listening and trying not to remember what he'd seen.

A few moments later, a loud and rough coughing reached Monkey's ears. He stopped and turned to check on Trip; the coughing was close. But she was fine and also looking around for the source of the noise. She liked to help anyone she could. The coughing grew worse and then abruptly stopped. Monkey started walking again and heard Trip follow behind him.

Trip's scream a second later stopped him dead.

"Command: help me!"

He would have done it without the command of the slave headband, but as it was, it turned him and he ran back to the young woman, who was currently struggling a woman in a ripped Pyramid jumpsuit who had wrapped herself around Trip tight enough to keep her from moving. The would-be attacker was muttering something incoherent and sobbing at intermittent points, her messy and matted hair flying all over the place as Trip struggled and her strong arms tightening with every movement.

Monkey nearly froze at the sight of the blue-tipped dreadlocks, but the slave headband forced him on. He let it happen—he didn't want to experience the pain the headband brought on when he fought it. Even before he pulled the woman's head back and pried her from Trip, he knew what he'd find, knew that he's see _her _face and knew that he _had _seen her in the Pyramid world.

But she had died.

She couldn't be here.

He'd watched a mech shove its sword-like hand into her stomach. He'd watched her die. He'd watched the mechs murder her and her whole family. He'd watched her struggle; gone to her side and listened to her gasp and ask him to help. There'd been nothing he could do for her at the time and he'd hated leaving her, but he had. He didn't want to die or get captured. He'd left.

They must have taken her after that.

Monkey stared at the woman for a moment as Trip struggled, begging to him to do something. He didn't know what to do. He wasn't prepared for this. For fighting mechs and taking down Pyramid, he was prepared, but not for this, not for facing someone he'd thought was dead, someone he'd thought he'd lost. He grabbed one arm and pulled it off Trip. He slid his other arm around the woman's waist and wedged her backwards. With a loud sob, the woman let go and turned her attention to Monkey instead.

"Monkey!" she shrieked upon seeing him, voice halfway between happy and distraught. She promptly latched herself to him instead, arms and legs wrapped around his strong frame. She was still sobbing, her face pressed into Monkey's neck.

Trip looked confused and she held Monkey's gaze for a moment, asking him silently to tell her what was going on.

He didn't.

"Core," he breathed, more than a little shaken by the woman's sudden reappearance. He readjusted his hold on her, taking a few steps back as he did so; he could feel rough scars on her back through the jumpsuit. "Core."

He hugged her tighter, Trip, for the moment, forgotten behind him.

* * *

**Author's Note.**

So, I was super surprised by the reaction to this fic.

I am pleased! Glad you like it!

Hope you like this chapter too. Enjoy.

**Next Chapter: Complications.**


	3. Chapter Three: Complications

I do not own **Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. **I do own Core and her back story and the parts of the plot that aren't in the game. This fic spawned largely from my dissatisfaction with the ending of the game. It was an awesome game and I didn't want it to end. So I decided to write a fic. It's rated for language and violence mostly, but also for some sexual scenes.

* * *

**Enslaved: Marks of the Past.  
**Chapter Three: Complications.

* * *

It took a moment, but Core finally calmed down enough to let go of Monkey and realize that Trip was not, in fact, her sister Bo. She unwrapped herself from Monkey, the soft soles of the boots she'd been given while in the Pyramid world making no noise as she dropped to the platform; her cheeks were flushed a little with embarrassment, but her mouth was split in a wide grin, eyes full of disbelief. Core had never been one for extreme displays of emotion—beyond anger, that is—but she couldn't seem to unwind all the way. She remained standing close to Monkey, taking comfort from his familiar presence; one hand remained on his forearm. Neither had recovered from the shock of seeing each other again.

"Monkey," she breathed, blue-green eyes sparkling with tears she'd never shed. She opened her mouth to say something else, but was cut off by Trip.

"Who _are_ you?" she asked, eyes narrowed slightly. The redhead was rubbing her arm, where the first signs of a bruise were already visible.

Core blinked, her normal countenance taking over the emotionally charged one. Her face became stoic and her eyes darkened. "My name is Core and I'd be happy to do the whole introductory spiel later, but can we get out of here first?" She looked around and shook herself slightly. "I don't want to be around here anymore than I have to. I'm going to find my things."

Without waiting for a reply or confirmation of any kind, Core started walking back along the platform towards the only door out of the massive room, her movements revealing tightness in her shoulders and legs. There were already other slaves pouring out the exit, a veritable flood of people seeking the fresh air and freedom they'd been denied for so long; those who were mourning the loss of their life inside Pyramid's memories were not running for the door, seemingly rooted to their place, clutching at their masks and sobbing loudly. Core ignored everything and just pushed through the crowd, not caring when she knocked a couple people over. She was after her freedom and that was the only thing on her mind. When she realized that Monkey and Trip were not following her however, she turned on her heel and stared at them, the brightness of her blue-green eyes visible even across the distance.

"Who is she Monkey?" Trip asked, making sure it was clear how put-off she was.

The blond man shrugged, his eyes focused at the other end of the platform, hands balled into fists at his sides. "Someone I thought was dead," he said quietly before starting towards Core.

Trip felt the urge to scream, but she swallowed it and followed the other two. There was nothing to be gained by walking off on her own.

Core led the way through the crowd, her blue-tipped, blonde dreadlocks visible amongst the dark colours of the jumpsuits. At the moments when Monkey and Trip drew close to Core around the other slaves, they heard her mumbling to herself, saying things like "gotta get the fuck out of here," "wanna run" and "need my things, need my things," but she didn't respond when the others asked her where her things were. She seemed to be in a sort of trance, focused on escaping, on leaving Pyramid, and everything else was pointless to her. She had gotten over the shock of seeing Monkey again, and now she was thinking about something else. Core had been accused of having a one-track mind many, many times. So Monkey and Trip just followed, hoping she knew where she was going. Eventually, she stopped moving through the main hallway and veered off.

"Core," Monkey barked. "Where are you going?"

"Get my things."

How she knew where her things were was beyond Monkey or Trip, but they didn't ask questions. Evidently, they weren't going to leave Core here to fend for herself, so they might as well stay with her.

They found Core in a small storage room, down a small hall, filled with clothes and trinkets people would have had on them when they were taken by the slavers. Why the slavers never threw anything out was a question that could never be answered now that Pyramid was dead. Her jumpsuit was unzipped and hanging around her hips. She had pulled on a black tank top that showed scars along her arms, the back of her shoulders and across her lower back. She was digging through a shelf, throwing things to either side, probably looking for the rest of her things. Monkey and Trip stepped back into the hall to wait for her to finish.

Trip slid down to sit on the floor with her back against the wall and debated asking Monkey who she was again, what the story was around her. She didn't think she'd get a different answer, so she didn't bother asking, but she wanted to. It was clear there was history between Core and Monkey, a deep and heated history, and Trip wanted to know what it was, wanted to know when they'd met, if they were friends or more, where they'd met, why they had similar scars... She had feelings for Monkey and she thought he knew that, but apparently everything they'd been through had vanished with Core's appearance, vanished in the face of the past they shared. Trip sighed heavily and put her head back against the wall, eyes closed, afraid of what this discovery meant for her and Monkey journeying together, wherever they were going to go.

Before any words could be said though, Core emerged from the storage room. She had added a pair of tight, bright blue pants, patched with black squares of a different fabric, a pair of fingerless gloves and the equivalent of fingerless gloves for her feet: a piece of thick fabric that went around the middle of her foot and connected to a heavy belt around her ankle, but left the heel and toes bare. There was also a heavy belt around her hips, with something that looked suspiciously like Monkey's staff hooked to the back. The similarities between the way Monkey and Core dressed was not lost on Trip.

"Okay, let's get out of here now," she said, mind refocused on escaping.

Core started walking and Monkey fell in step, helping Trip up as he passed. The trio rejoined the torrent of people—they were still coming? How many slaves were there?—and, in silence, made their way towards the brightness of outside. Cries of joy announced their arrival.

Core started running.

She ran out into the light and sand and laughed, turning a smiling face into the sun.

And then she collapsed.

Monkey jogged to her side and crouched beside her form.

"Is she okay?" Trip grudgingly asked.

"Yeah. She's probably just exhausted or overwhelmed or something." Monkey rose to his feet and slung the unconscious woman over his shoulder. "Let's keep going."

Trip stood a few feet away from Monkey and Core. "Where?" she asked. "Where are we going now?"

Monkey shrugged. "Why don't you use your dragonfly to find us a river or something?"

Trip almost did scream that time.

* * *

**Author's Note.**

Seriously, I never expected this fic to get the response it has! I mean, I'm thrilled but a little floored. I'm super glad everyone seems to like it.

Just a note about the last chapter: when Trip commands Monkey to help her, I realize she wouldn't have done that really, but I chose to have her use the command because she was so shocked by Core's sudden appearance, that she relapsed. Panic makes people do weird and out of character things. Hopefully that's clear.

Anyways, please enjoy.

**Next Chapter: Out in the Sand.**


	4. Chapter Four: Out in the Sand

I do not own **Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. **I do own Core and her back story and the parts of the plot that aren't in the game. This fic spawned largely from my dissatisfaction with the ending of the game. It was an awesome game and I didn't want it to end. So I decided to write a fic. It's rated for language and violence mostly, but also for some sexual scenes.

* * *

**Enslaved: Marks of the Past.  
**Chapter Four: Out in the Sand.

* * *

"Why won't you tell me who she is?"

Monkey turned enough to look at Trip, but he kept walking, Core still slung over his shoulder like a sack of flour or potatoes or something. "Why does it matter so much? Her name is Core, and she's someone I knew a long time ago."

Trip balled her hands into fists and couldn't think of what to say to the same answer she'd been getting since they'd left Pyramid. As Monkey turned back around and continued walking in the direction the dragonfly had shown them a river lay in, she fell in step behind him, her eyes glued to Core's unconscious form, the remnants of her dreadlocks swinging back and forth, and Trip's mind wandered through all the possibilities of the connection between the blue-haired woman and Monkey.

The most obvious was the possible romantic connection, and that one bothered her most, especially since whatever relationship there might be between her and Monkey was just beginning and it was beginning under forced and stressful circumstances. If there had been something natural, something easy between Core and Monkey it was very likely going to threaten whatever was between Trip and the surly man. But Trip wasn't one to jump to the worst conclusion—she never had been. So there were other possibilities in her mind. Core could be Monkey's sister, biological or adopted. They could just be friends. They could have only met once, but the shock of seeing each other after thinking they were dead could make their relationship seem closer.

Whatever is was, Trip didn't like it, and she wanted answers.

"Is Core your sister?" she asked, putting on a burst of speed to catch up to Monkey.

Monkey didn't look at her as he answered, "No."

"Do you know her well?"

"I did."

"When was the last time you saw her?"

Monkey stopped walking and turned to face Trip. His eyes were narrowed and there was darkness in them that told Trip he was angry, frustrated; it was a look she had seen many times during their travels together. It still made her uneasy. "Core is someone I knew a long time ago, Trip. That is all you have to know right now."

"What do you mean `right now`?"

"I don't know how long she's going to stick around. She could get up and leave as soon as she's feeling well enough. I don't know who she is anymore, so stop asking questions about her."

"I want to know who she was to you. Who she could still be."

Monkey just glared at her for a moment before striking out again across the hot golden sand. Trip followed, feeling like she'd been punched in the gut and starting to get a little angry. Monkey had always been private—at least for as long as she had known him—but this was just infuriating. They had had a moment on the giant mech, a moment after she'd destroyed Pyramid... there had been a few on the journey West, and she couldn't shake the feeling that all the potential was going to be destroyed by this one, formally blonde woman.

The colourful trio walked for a while in silence, Trip every once in a while sending up the dragonfly to make sure there were no surprises waiting on their trek to the river. As the sun began to set, she started looking for some place to make camp, and just after the sun had dropped below the horizon, she found one: a large piece of rock or rubble of some kind that was buried in the sand, creating a semi-sheltered area where they could rest; Trip was hungry, but she wasn't holding out hope for a fire and food, not when they were in the middle of the desert.

"There's a place we could make camp over there," she said quietly, pointing.

"Or we could push on to the river."

"Monkey, I'm tired. I need to rest. You might be able to go on, but you can't carry both of us and you won't leave me here!"

The big man turned to face her again, but he wasn't glaring this time. Trip was right, and if he tried to leave—as if he even wanted to leave her out here unprotected—she could command him to come back, if she wanted to hurt him. He liked to think she was beyond that, but he couldn't be sure. He started walking in the direction she'd pointed and spotted the stone almost immediately. It only took about fifteen minutes of walking to reach the makeshift shelter, and when they did arrive, Monkey slipped Core off his shoulder and settled her on her side, with her back against the rock before sitting cross-legged beside her head. Trip settled herself across from the pair and once again studied Core's face, willing her to wake up. Maybe she would share her history.

"Monkey, is there a reason you won't tell me about her?" she finally asked, voice timid and quiet.

Monkey sighed heavily and rubbed the palms of his hands along his red pants. "I don't see why it matters."

"Because..." It was Trip's turn to sigh. "Because, Monkey, I want to know about you and it's obvious she's a part of your past."

"The past is the past, Trip."

Trip was getting frustrated again. She put her head in her hands, her elbows on her knees and stared at the dark sand between her feet. How could she explain what she wanted without telling Monkey outright how she felt? Should she tell him? Did she actually love him? This was a lot more than she wanted to face, to think about, but there might not be a choice. "Monkey, I..."

"I know, Trip," he said in a tone of voice that said he knew what she'd been about to say.

"Then you should know why it matters to me who Core was to you."

Monkey's eyes darkened again and she could see it even across the distance and through the darkness. "You don't have anything to be concerned with."

Core began to stir then and the motion stopped whatever fight might have broken from the words between Monkey and Trip. She coughed once before rising up on her hands and knees and coughing more violently, black goo splattering the sand beneath her. There were tears in the corners of her eyes, but there was a smile on her lips; the black stains on her lips made the expression frightening rather than reassuring. Core settled with her back against the stone before she turned her blue-green eyes—startling even in the dark—to Trip and then Monkey and her smile grew.

"Good," she said, "I didn't dream it."

"No you didn't," Monkey replied. "You're free and now you can tell me how you survived that mech attack."

Core looked across the circle at Trip, almost as if she was sizing her up or gauging if she should hear the story. "First, I think we should do the whole introduction thing."

And perhaps they would have.

Trip certainly wanted to—maybe she'd finally get her answers. Core also wanted to know who Trip was and what the story was behind the bizarre headband around Monkey's forehead. But no further conversation was had. A slight clinking noise arose in the darkness around them, a noise unmistakable. Mechs. There were mechs coming and there was nowhere to hide.

Monkey rose silently to his feet and wrapped his hand around his collapsed staff. He gestured for Trip to move closer to the rock, to hide, and then looked to Core who nodded and got to her feet as well, her own weapon in hand; whether or not it was a collapsible staff like Monkey's remained to be seen, but as Core dropped into a fighting stance, Trip had no doubt she knew how to fight as well as Monkey. Core pressed her back to the rock and peered around the corner, looking for the target and Monkey did the same on the other side.

Five mechs, all big and shiny and dangerous.

"Just like old times," Core breathed, a small smirk on her face.

* * *

**Author's Note.**

AHH, I'm apologizing again!

March (Essay) Madness is upon me! I have so much to do! I'm going to keep writing updates (during class) so never fear! But still... AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Okay, I'm better now.

Enjoy.

**Next Chapter: Fight, Fight, Fight.**


	5. Chapter Five: Fight, Fight, Fight

I do not own **Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. **I do own Core and her back story and the parts of the plot that aren't in the game. This fic spawned largely from my dissatisfaction with the ending of the game. It was an awesome game and I didn't want it to end. So I decided to write a fic. It's rated for language and violence mostly, but also for some sexual scenes.

* * *

**Enslaved: Marks of the Past.  
**Chapter Five: Fight, Fight, Fight.

* * *

Core's weapon turned out to be a collapsible staff that split into two halves in the middle. The ends were covered in metal and there were large studs along the length, making them look as deadly as they were in the right hands. Her fighting style was nearly identical to Monkey's, but she relied more on her body than the staffs in her hands; she executed several elaborate kicks and wasn't afraid to smash her elbows and knees into the mechs. There were metal plates affixed to her pants and on bands around her elbows, protecting the joints. It was clear that she knew her fighting style and knew how to protect herself.

Trip huddled against the rock and watched as Monkey and Core tackled the small pack of mechs, sending out an electro-magnetic pulse when her device was ready. There were four smaller mechs and one that was quite large—clearly the leader. It walked on four legs and had two extra arms extending from its back, bearing drills. There weren't any guns visible, but that didn't meant there weren't some hidden beneath under all that metal plating. Under the combined powers of Monkey, Core and Trip, the four smaller mechs fell quickly, turning into piles of metal and cables and sparks around their camp. The larger mech was going to be a problem and Trip realized this as soon as she sent out the pulse to temporarily freeze it and it didn't work; it kept coming, its drill-like appendages poised and ready.

"MONKEY!" Trip yelled. "Monkey, the pulse isn't working on it!"

The blond man growled loudly and turned his attention to Core, who was standing in front of the beast, facing it head-on. "Core! We're going to have to find another way to kill it!"

She nodded and started running towards the mech. Trip screamed wordlessly, confused and afraid, but Monkey knew what Core was doing; he'd seen this move before. He picked up a rock and chucked it at the head of the creature and it hit home with a resounding clunk. The mech turned its head and unleashed a bizarre almost-roar, focused on Monkey instead of Core, who was almost directly underneath the four-legged thing, headed for its tail.

The mech lunged for Monkey when it was in range, its jaws getting a mouthful of sand as Monkey dodged. As he rolled out of the way, he saw Core climbing onto the thing's back and knew they were close—as long as Core could hold on, they were close to killing the mech. Monkey dodged another attack and drove the butt of his staff into the roving yellowish eye of the mech, meeting with a shower of bright sparks and the sound of grinding metal and a high-pitched whine that came from the mech; it almost sounded like pain. Core took the opportunity to drove both her staffs into the cables and wires at the neck joint.

The thing didn't stop.

It howled, but didn't stop.

It reared, sending Core flying from its back. She landed with a thud in the sand many feet away; the noise was so loud that Monkey heard it, even standing in front of the mech. There was no time to worry about the woman though. The mech started moving again and Monkey was forced to start the dodge and roll routine. Trip initiated her distract protocol and the hologram drew the mech's attention. It started to move closer to the rock.

Monkey cursed under his breath and ran towards the creature, using his staff to launch him into the air so he could grab something, anything on the back of the mech. His hand closed around one of Core's staffs and he held on for dear life, hoisting himself up. The staff moved a couple inches under Monkey's shifting weight. Seeing an opportunity, he kicked at the staff, driving it down and pushing it through the parts holding the mech's head to its body. Sparks erupted around the staff. The mech howled again and the staff fell from the joint; the head was lopsided now.

"Trip!" Monkey barked as the mech started around the rock. "Move!"

He saw her across the sand towards Core and then turned his attention back to the mech as he started kicking Core's other staff, trying to loosen it and remove the mech's head completely. The second staff didn't want to move. With a wordless scream, Monkey drove his own staff into the joint and used all the strength he could to drive it through what would amount to the spine in a flesh and blood animal. A loud crack and flames told Monkey he was successful and a moment later, the mech fell forward and skidded across the sand, Monkey leaping from its head to land gracefully several feet away.

Where he was tackled by a blue, black and red blur.

"That was so much fun!" Core exclaimed, voice breaking.

Monkey looked at the young woman from his past and fought the urge to laugh. She was cut, bleeding and bruised, but she was smiling, her blue-green eyes sparkling. "You haven't changed a bit," he said, something in his voice revealing the surprise he was feeling.

"When would I have had time to change, Monkey? I was dead and then I was captured and stuck in Pyramid." She turned her head up to the night sky. "I've been stuck in the exact same place for so long, but that," she pointed at the smoking, sparking remains, "was just like old times."

Monkey gave her a small smile.

Trip stood there, watching, a pronounced scowl on her face. "You two fought a lot when you were friends or whatever?" she asked as Core went to examine the wreckage.

"We fought mechs," he replied.

"You fought mechs."

Monkey looked sideways at Trip. "Yes. We fought mechs. We hunted mechs. We did it to protect her colony." His eyes narrowed at his traveling companion. "Are you happy?"

Trip just huffed and walked away.

Core reappeared at Monkey's side with their staffs in tow. She had also salvaged assorted pieces of the mechs and was carrying them under one arm. What she was going to do with them was anyone's guess, but she seemed very happy with her finds. "Are we staying here or are we moving on?" she asked as she watched Trip stomp back to the stone.

"We'll move somewhere else. We don't want to attract attention with all these dead mechs." Monkey turned to look down at Core. "Are you okay to walk? You took some pretty solid hits."

Core looked down at her body. "They're just flesh wounds, Monkey. Nothing to worry about." She gave him a smile he never thought he'd see again: it was devious, mischievous and warm all at the same time. "I've been worse. You have given me worse injuries. Let's walk," she added with a gesture. "And I'll hope your little girlfriend doesn't find the guts to bite my head off."

Monkey gave Core an indignant look, which she returned with a bright smile before marching out across the sand.

* * *

**Author's Note.**

Sorry this one took so long. It's the end of school and that means I can't update as quickly as I'd want to, but I'm trying to keep these coming. Actually, writing my fanfiction and my original stories is all that keeps me sane while I'm writing my essays. So I've got to keep at it.

Anyways, we are officially one-third of the way through this fic. WOO.

Enjoy.

**Next Chapter: Departure.**


	6. Chapter Six: Departure

I do not own **Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. **I do own Core and her back story and the parts of the plot that aren't in the game. This fic spawned largely from my dissatisfaction with the ending of the game. It was an awesome game and I didn't want it to end. So I decided to write a fic. It's rated for language and violence mostly, but also for some sexual scenes.

* * *

**Enslaved: Marks of the Past.  
**Chapter Six: Departure.

* * *

"Where are you going?" Trip asked.

Core looked sideways at the redhead, her finds from the mech still tucked under one arm; she hadn't had the opportunity to do whatever it was she going to do with them yet. "What do you mean? Where do I want to go? I want to go home. West coast, the ocean… my family, my colony, if it's still there." Her blue-green eyes took on a faraway look and a small smile danced across her lips. There was a little skip in her step as she thought about home; she looked quite a bit younger.

The girls were behind Monkey, walking side by side as their companion kept an eye out for more mechs. Trip was feeling a little more confident back there, more able to talk to Core than she could with Monkey nearby. Something in the chemistry the pair shared unnerved her and there was the feeling that Monkey would take Core's side in anything. "Do you think it's still there?" Trip asked, clasping her hands behind her back.

"I hope so. It was a large, hidden colony with lots of trained fighters. I think there's a good chance that it's still there. A better chance than most colonies, anyways."

For a long moment, Trip didn't say anything. What she was going to say next could have some seriously bad consequences for her, but she sucked in a breath and said it anyway. "Do you have to travel with us? We aren't necessarily going all the way west." Her voice was quiet.

Core stopped walking, her toes digging into the sand. Trip knew instantly that she had pissed off the blonde, and sure enough, when she turned back to face Core, she found those extraordinary eyes narrowed and her metal treasures on the ground by her feet. The short fuse that led to Core's temper had just about run out; ahead of the girls, Monkey was still walking, but it wouldn't be long before he turned to join them. Core advanced on Trip, the blue ends of her blonde dreadlocks swinging madly around her waist and her hands balled into fists.

"You want me gone?" she asked, venom in her voice.

"I—"

"You don't want me around Monkey, do you?"

"I—"

Core reached for Trip, but Monkey appeared suddenly between them, pushing Core back roughly. She took several steps back, her eyes locked on Trip's face and ignoring Monkey's eyes on hers. When she finally did look at Monkey, whatever she saw there made her scowl. She spread her hands out to either side and gave Monkey a smile that was angry and bitter. "It was nice to see you again, Monkey," she called, voice sarcastic. Core turned her back on the pair, grabbed the metal pieces from the mech and then started off across the sand, headed vaguely west. "I'm going home."

Monkey watched her shrink on the horizon for a few moments before turning to face Trip. His eyes were narrowed, but he wasn't specifically mad at Trip; she knew that, but the look still made her shrink back a little. Trip swallowed that fear because she knew Monkey wouldn't hurt her and faced him.

"I didn't mean for her to storm off like that, Monkey," she said.

For a second, Monkey looked like he was going to yell, but then he closed his eyes and sighed, his muscular shoulders dropping as he exhaled. "I know. Core's always been unpredictable." He ran one hand back over his blond hair, scratched at his head and then folded his arms across his chest. "What did you ask her? Something had to set her off."

"I asked her if she had to travel with us. I should have asked it a different way."

Monkey nodded, almost absently. "You don't want her here."

Trip knew it wasn't a question. She sighed. "It's not that Monkey. It's just… The history between you two is... a lot to handle." She took a couple steps towards him, until they were standing very close. She placed a hand on his arm and squeezed gently. "Will you please tell me how you two know each other? More than just you fought mechs together? Please?"

Monkey cast another look over his shoulder in the direction Core had gone; she was just a small dot on the horizon now, still heading due west. She could take care of herself, he knew, but there were a lot of mechs out there, and a lot of big mechs, like the one they had faced the night before. She had been inside the Pyramid World for a long time, and things had changed. He wasn't going to leave Trip behind, even if he could have, but he didn't want to lose Core. Not yet. He started speaking with his head still turned. "A long time ago—I don't remember exactly how long—I was near the ocean and was attacked by some mechs." He turned back to Trip. "Core and her brothers showed up and wiped out the mechs like it was all they knew how to do. I learned later that that wasn't far from the truth."

"So you joined them?"

Monkey nodded. "I had nowhere to go, no one to see and the people in her colony were willing to welcome me in. The colony in Old San Francisco is underground. It's the largest I've ever seen; the slavers can't get in. I don't even think they know it's there. They have entire families down there." Monkey took a deep breath. "I stayed there for a few years, helping Core and the others hunt mechs and slavers and protect the colony."

"You were… close?"

Monkey nodded, his eyes focused somewhere other than Trip's face.

"And you thought she was dead?"

"I saw her get impaled by a mech. I saw the life leave her eyes, had her blood on my hands. There were slavers coming and I ran so I wouldn't get captured. I didn't expect them to take her. I thought she was dead."

Trip looked at Monkey with something like shock in her eyes. This was the most he'd ever shared about himself and his past, and the most emotion she'd seen from him that wasn't anger. The only other time she'd seen similar emotion had been when they'd almost kissed on the journey from the east, on the giant mech. That hurt, but she just wanted to make sure he was okay. "Monkey…"

He held up a hand, cutting her off. "It's the past. It doesn't matter."

"Clearly," Trip said, finding a previously unknown well of strength, "it does."

* * *

**Author's Note.**

We are going to try and finish this one up quickly!

To clarify something that seems to be confusing… Core's hair is blonde, but it was dyed blue. So now, the ends of Core's hair are blue, but the rest of her hair is blonde because the dye has grown out.

Yeah, I'm going to play the game again soon, methinks. I need to get all the achievements, and I love the game so much.

Anyways, enjoy!

**Next Chapter: Arguments Abound.**


	7. Chapter Seven: Arguments Abound

I do not own **Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. **I do own Core and her back story and the parts of the plot that aren't in the game. This fic spawned largely from my dissatisfaction with the ending of the game. It was an awesome game and I didn't want it to end. So I decided to write a fic. It's rated for language and violence mostly, but also for some sexual scenes.

* * *

**Enslaved: Marks of the Past.  
**Chapter Seven: Arguments Abound.

* * *

"Why does it matter so much to you?"

"Because Monkey; she's obviously important to you, to who you were—"

"Exactly. Who I was. I'm not that person anymore."

"It doesn't matter that you're not that person anymore, Monkey. I want to know things about you—things like this. I want to know where you came from and why you're who you are!" Trip face flushed bright red under the weight of the confession, but she didn't take any of it back or anything, she just continued to look sideways at him as they trekked across the sand.

Monkey's mouth was twisted into a scowl, but the thoughts in his head at that moment didn't match the expression on his face. He was thinking that he was no longer the same person because of Trip, because she had put the headband on him, because she had made him head west, because she had made him do so many things and because they had become so close, Monkey was not the same person who had once hunted mechs with Core. Why he couldn't tell her that was beyond him. It should have been the easiest thing in the world to open his mouth and tell Trip what he was thinking, what he was feeling, but the words just seemed to get stuck. "It doesn't matter," was all he managed.

"It does," Trip said stubbornly. "What I don't get is why it's so hard for you to tell me anything about your past."

"Because it's the past."

Trip gave a huff and stomped off into the sand ahead of him, forcing him to keep pace so the headband didn't exact the wrath Trip was feeling all over his head. When Monkey caught up with her, he heard her muttering under her breath, but he couldn't exactly make it out. Something about a mech and stabbing. Maybe something about blue hair. It didn't sound overly pleasant.

"Look, Trip, can we put this argument on hold and go find Core?" Monkey asked, trying to sound less hostile than he had.

The redhead whirled around, her eyes alight with the fire of her hair. For a second, Monkey thought she was going to yell and scream and unleash everything in eyes, but instead she sighed heavily, her shoulders falling and her back arching slightly as she almost curled in on herself.

Monkey was overcome the desire to explain why he wanted to find Core. Those words didn't get lost. "She's been in the Pyramid world for so long; she's going to get herself killed."

"She seems to have done okay so far," Trip sneered.

The big man just scowled harder and marched ahead of Trip, behind careful not to get too far ahead. They walked for a long time in silence, continuing in the direction they had been going—which was the way Core had gone, but Monkey wasn't going to point that out. When the sun was approaching the top of the sky, Trip sighed again, loudly and to get Monkey's attention. He obliged her and faced her; there was a bead of sweat running down the side of her face.

"We need to find water and someplace to rest," she said.

Monkey nodded his agreement. He could have kept going, but then he was used to traveling for extended periods of time without a break. That was how he'd spent most of his time between losing Core and finding himself on board that slaver ship where he had first seen Trip. Not that he'd ever admit it, but part of him was tired of traveling. Part of him just wanted to find a colony to live in, to stop moving for a while.

Trip set up her dragonfly and then turned her attention to the holographic screen above her wrist. There was a whole lot of sand. And more sand. And more sand. After the golden expanse, the first plants to show up were almost shocking. Those first sprouts seemed to multiply across the ground until they were looking at a lush grouping of vibrant green plants with bright purple flowers and between the leaves they could see the welcoming blue of a wide river turning its way across the desert. It was a bit of paradise in the Wasteland.

The dragonfly started back to the young woman controlling it, flying back over the sand at a faster speed than it had used to fly away. Monkey stopped it.

"Go back," he said.

The dragonfly turned around and hovered over what Trip knew Monkey had seen. A small dark mark in the golden sand. Trip sent the dragonfly down for a closer look. The dark spot was blood.

"Shit," Monkey breathed.

Trip may not have wanted Core around, but Monkey was right; she'd been in that place for a very long time without fighting, without clawing for survival and while her skills in combat hadn't diminished at all—or had they? That was a scary thought—she wasn't used to the world as it was now and she was going to get herself killed if she kept trying to make it through the Wasteland by herself. They should never have let her go.

"Let me see if I can find her before we go and get ourselves lost," Trip said quietly, her face showing how much she really didn't like the idea. However, she was not going to let Core die; she hadn't, strictly speaking, done anything wrong.

She did a quick remote check of the dragonfly's systems and then sent it off again, following the dark spots that kept showing up in the sand. It was longer than the dragonfly had been out and farther than she'd ever sent it before, but the little mechanized creature made it. They found Core lying in the sand, the metal piece of the mech she'd been carrying lying in the sand to either side of her along with several more hunks of mech that looked to be from a recent fight.

Trip had made it about ten steps before she'd even realized she was moving. Monkey fell in beside her and they started across the sand, the argument of the past forgotten in lieu of keeping Core alive.

* * *

**Author's Note.**

* * *

I still can't get over the reaction to this story. Who knew it'd be so popular?

Not that I'm complaining. I love that you guys love this fic so much. Core is fun to write and I love Monkey and Trip. And for those of you who are wondering who Monkey is going to get up with… I'm not telling you that!

Anyways, hopefully you continue to enjoy this fic!

* * *

**Next Chapter: Compromise Reached.**


	8. Chapter Eight: Compromise Reached

I do not own **Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. **I do own Core and her back story and the parts of the plot that aren't in the game. This fic spawned largely from my dissatisfaction with the ending of the game. It was an awesome game and I didn't want it to end. So I decided to write a fic. It's rated for language and violence mostly, but also for some sexual scenes.

* * *

**Enslaved: Marks of the Past.  
**Chapter Eight: Compromise Reached.

* * *

Monkey and Trip followed the dragonfly's directions for the better part of the day. Trip had to give the mechanical insect a break every fourth or fifth trip so it didn't overheat or break down. Once, she had to force Monkey to sit down and rest because the dragonfly was only flying in circles to the left and she couldn't fix it while they were walking. While she sat in the sand and tinkered with the beast, Monkey paced back and forth behind her, wearing a trench in the sand and mumbling under his breath. Trip did her best to ignore him as she worked, but it was hard not to notice how worked up he was getting over Core, lying out there somewhere in the sand, dying or already dead.

If Trip was being completely honest, she was getting worked up about it too. She didn't hate Core, regardless of what she brought out in Monkey. Actually, she quite liked the blonde woman with her blue-green eyes and her slightly psychotic smile. Trip admired her: the woman had spent around two years in an artificial world and she didn't let it suck her in. She had lost two years of her life and she had come out, planning to pick up where she had left off and doing whatever she could to get back to her family, her colony and her life. Almost everyone else Trip had seen come out of the Pyramid world had been upset about leaving; apparently, it had been a beautiful, wonderful, peaceful place, but it was all fake and Core had clung to reality. That took something special in the face of perfection.

She liked Core. She just didn't like that she was coming between her and Monkey. If she was at all; Trip had been thinking while they walked across the sand. Maybe Core had no designs on Monkey, maybe Trip had been imagining that, or she was just going off of Monkey's reaction. Core had never made any move other than to hug someone she hadn't seen in a long time, someone she cared about and had thought lost to her. That wasn't so outrageous.

Trip looked down at the dragonfly in her hands and realized she hadn't been working on it for several moments while her thoughts chased each other around her head. She shook out her red hair and wished they were somewhere cooler; she was sick of sweating in the heat. Ridding herself of all thoughts of Core and Monkey, Trip focused on the dragonfly and completed the last few repairs.

"Is that thing ready?"

"Yeah, just give me a second to test it and make sure," Trip said, her voice even and unemotional. She tossed the dragonfly into the air and held her breath as it sputtered, wings flapping rapidly. After a second that seemed to go on forever, the little thing rolled over and took off and Trip had full control again from the console on her wrist. "It's good. We're getting closer."

Monkey took off again at a fast jog and Trip followed a few paces behind, the holographic console disappearing back into the device on her wrist. Soon, she was breathing heavily and it was a struggle to keep putting one foot in front of the other. She could run, but not as far as Monkey; she wasn't that strong. When her legs felt like lead, she had to stop. She called to Monkey and he stopped and turned, jogged back to where she was standing, her eyes narrowed slightly, like he was angry.

"I can't go any farther right now," she panted. "I need to take a break. I'm sorry."

The blond man stopped and stared down at her. For a moment, Trip was sure he was just going to turn and keep going towards Core, but then he picked her up and put her on his back, like he had when they had been back on the East Coast, climbing through the remains of the city. Trip held on as tight as she dared, her knees braced against Monkey's muscular back. She leaned closer as he started moving again, putting her mouth close to his ear.

"I'm sorry," she said again, hoping he knew what she was apologizing for.

Apparently he did, because he nodded ever so slightly.

Because she wasn't running, Trip was able to look down at the display console on her wrist. The dragonfly was hovering over Core's unmoving form. There were drag marks behind her, like she had dragged herself through the sand, heading towards… towards… Trip made the dragonfly look around and she saw what Core had been trying to get to: not far away from her position was a river, surrounded by green plants and bright flowers; she had been trying to get to the water, where she might be safer from the mechs, might be able to heal. There was blood in the sand behind her and though her chest was moving up and down with ragged breaths, it wasn't moving much.

"Monkey, hurry," Trip gasped. "She's dying."

Monkey hurried. It didn't take that long when he was running almost as fast as he could. Soon enough, they saw her in the distance, but she wasn't alone. Following in her drag marks were three mechs, all half functional, like they had taken a serious beating. Monkey stopped running and set Trip down on the sand.

"Get to Core," he said. "I'm going to get rid of those mechs. Get her to that river."

Trip nodded. Before he could run off, Trip placed a hand on his arm and gave it a small squeeze. He held her gaze for a moment and then broke away, running towards the mechs with her staff poised and ready. Trip sighed and ran in an arch towards Core, to stay out of the mechs' path and Monkey's way.

* * *

**Author's Note.**

* * *

So, the chapter is a little shorter than the others, but because everyone seems to like this fic, I'm not pushing, I'm just writing and I'll tell you something, it feels nice. I haven't had a lot of experience with things that just flow like this fic. Sometimes my other fics do, but this one has been pretty consistent. It's nice to have something that's just a lot of fun.

Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

**Next Chapter: Rescued Again.**


	9. Chapter Nine: Rescued Again

I do not own **Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. **I do own Core and her back story and the parts of the plot that aren't in the game. This fic spawned largely from my dissatisfaction with the ending of the game. It was an awesome game and I didn't want it to end. So I decided to write a fic. It's rated for language and violence mostly, but also for some sexual scenes.

* * *

**Enslaved: Marks of the Past.  
**Chapter Nine: Rescued Again.

* * *

When Core woke up, Trip had her slight body lowered over hers, like she was trying to protect her. The situation confused Core, but she didn't move, lest there was some reason to be protected; she couldn't be sure since she couldn't really hear anything aside from the ringing in her ears. Her head hurt too, which couldn't be anything but bad. Against her will, a small groan escaped her lips.

Trip looked down then and a small smile flashed across her mouth. "Thank God you're alive, Core. I was beginning to think we were too late." The red head shifted so Core could roll onto her side and cough; some of that black goo from Pyramid splattered onto the sand. "Are you badly hurt?" When Core shook her head, Trip sighed will relief and knelt on the sand beside Core. She moved her hands to Core's stomach, where the blood seemed to be originating and moved her shirt so she could get a better look. "This wound isn't too bad," she said after looking up to see where Monkey was. At least, that's what Core assumed she was doing. "How did you fight these mechs and not get worse injuries?"

Core rolled her head around to try and look at the fight which she could now hear going on around her. All she could see were a couple piece of metal plating. "I dunno," she told Trip. "Practice, I guess. This isn't the first time I've fought mechs in a weakened state."

Trip didn't respond to that, just slipped an arm under Core's shoulders and helped her sit up. "Come on. We've got to get to that river over there to get you cleaned up. I want to make sure these wounds aren't any worse."

Core nodded and tried to stand up on her own so Trip didn't have to bear all her weight. The young woman was smaller than Core. Together, they hobbled across the sand towards the bright green plants and their rainbow of flowers and made it through the foliage to the clear waters of the river. It wasn't that wide, but in the middle of miles of sand, it was wonderful. Core, once free of the support Trip offered, fell into the water and dunked her head under it. Trip followed, if a little reluctantly and knelt. When the water soaked through her clothes however, she laughed.

The world of the river felt so far away from the fight.

Not that that lasted much longer. Monkey appeared a few moments later, a little bloodied himself but not really much worse for wear. He sat down on the river bank and stuck his bare feet in his water. Even he seemed to relax a little.

Core was stretched out across the river, head and arms on one bank with her feet on the other and Trip had started inspecting the wound on her middle. Once all the blood had been washed away, it became clear that the injury was not that bad and the collapse had probably come from heat exhaustion or dehydration; states Core seemed intent on curing as she drank handful after handful of the water and closed her eyes to doze once Trip had finished. She promptly fell asleep.

Trip looked from Core to Monkey and gave him a small smile.

"She is… resilient," Trip said carefully.

Monkey nodded. Clearly, his mind was somewhere else, in the past. Trip knew he was thinking about the day Core had "died." Likely, he was wondering if he should have stayed with her, if he should have dragged her off and saved her. Trip wanted to say something, but she had spent enough time with Monkey to know that there was nothing she could say that would make him feel any better. So, instead of racking her brain, she climbed onto the bank and sat beside him, leaving Core to sleep half in the river.

"Do you think we're safe here for now?" Trip asked. "I like it here."

"I didn't hear any more mechs and your dragonfly didn't see any more while it was flying. We should be safe here for at least tonight."

Trip nodded and stretched out on the grass, her feet sliding back into the water. "So are we going to take Core back to her colony? I've never seen the West Coast."

Monkey shrugged. "I guess. We'll have to ask her if she wants to go back there when she wakes up, but that seems like what she'd want." The enslaved man also stretched out on the ground beside Trip and folded his hands behind his head.

"How did you two survive fighting those mechs all those years ago?" Trip suddenly asked.

"Core's younger sister Bo, the one she mistook you for when she first got out of the Pyramid machine, was a medic. She could heal almost anything, although she spent most of her time yelling at us for risking our lives every day hunting mechs and slavers that might stumble upon their colony." Monkey sighed in a way that said whatever he was thinking about was a happy memory. "Bo looked up to her sister more than their three older brothers who Core bonded with."

"They sound like an… interesting group."

"They were."

Trip stared up at the green leaves and blue sky above her and sighed, a small smile working its way onto her lips. She shifted a little closer to Monkey and, for the first time since Core had tackled her back at Pyramid, she felt content. She was still worried that Core might hamper the building relationship between herself and Monkey, but at that moment, it didn't seem to matter as much. They were safe from the mechs, no one had died, Pyramid was gone, they had a goal to work towards and they had freed all the slaves that had been confined to the bizarre world Pyramid had created.

Trip closed her eyes and fell asleep almost as instantly as Core had.

* * *

**Author's Note.**

* * *

Seriously, I can NEVER have five fics on the go at once ever again. It's just too many fandoms to try and switch between. My muse is getting tired of it and she's kicking my ass. I think that's why I haven't been able to face the page for a while. Trying to do too much. Also, I've been trying out some new techniques. We'll see how those go.

Anyways, enjoy.

* * *

**Next Chapter: Surrendered Choices.**


	10. Chapter Ten: Surrendered Choices

I do not own **Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. **I do own Core and her back story and the parts of the plot that aren't in the game. This fic spawned largely from my dissatisfaction with the ending of the game. It was an awesome game and I didn't want it to end. So I decided to write a fic. It's rated for language and violence mostly, but also for some sexual scenes.

* * *

**Enslaved: Marks of the Past.  
**Chapter Ten: Surrendered Choices.

* * *

The warm sun on her face woke Core. At some point during the night, she had been moved from her watery bed, and she was glad for that, because there was nothing worse than trying to walk around in wet pants. She was now lying on the bank of the river, her head in a patch of sunlight shining between the leaves. After making sure she wasn't in too much pain or anything, Core slowly rose to a sitting position and looked up at the azure sky; if her telling-time-by-the-sun skills were at all accurate, it was about midmorning. She did another quick check of herself before getting to her feet and approaching Trip and Monkey, who were sitting on the opposite bank in silence. Trip was lying on her back in the patchy grasses, her eyes closed and her breathing even. She was still asleep.

Monkey got to his feet when he saw Core approaching and crossed the river to stand near her. Core couldn't keep a small smile from working across her face. He was exactly as she remembered him and it was nice to know nothing had changed. About him and his personality anyway. Trip certainly changed things, but that wasn't her business really. So she smiled at her friend and reminded herself that though she was back, the past was past.

"I guess I owe you another apology for getting you into trouble, don't I?" she asked when he had stopped in front of her. They were standing fairly close so they could talk without waking Trip.

The barest hint of a grin flickered across Monkey's lips, the same smile she had been missing all her time in the Pyramid world. "What else is new? You were always the one who got us into trouble." Monkey dropped to a cross-legged position in the shade of one of the short trees and Core joined him, sitting close enough that their knees were touching. "How are you feeling?" he asked her.

"Pretty good, all things considered." Core gestured across the river at Trip. "You know, she's a lot better than I thought she was at first." She stumbled over the words a bit, but then, Core wasn't in the habit of changing her opinions about people. She had a habit of sticking to her gut feelings without fail. "But she's far too nice to be hanging out with you," she joked, turning the conversation in a more familiar direction. "How did you trap her into helping you?"

Monkey laughed a bit, something in the tone of the expression telling Core she had made some sort of hilarious mistake. "Actually," the blond man said, raising a hand to the thick gold headband sitting low on his forehead, "she trapped me into helping her."

Core had noticed the headband before, but it hadn't really meant anything other than it was an obnoxious accessory that she thought was a little beyond Monkey's normal taste in clothing. Now though, she saw it for what it was. "A slave headband?" she asked, her voice dropping and becoming heavy with disgust. "Why haven't you found a way out of this? Why haven't you done something? Why are you still traveling with her?" Core hissed. Her blue-green eyes darkened with anger.

Monkey grabbed Core's wrist as she ran her fingers along the metal of the headband and pulled it away from the device, drawing her a little closer to him at the same time. His face was also slightly contorted with anger and his grip on Core's wrist was almost to the point of hurting. "Don't assume you know everything, Core."

Core yanked her arm out of Monkey's grasp, the ends of her dreadlocks flailing slightly with the sudden motion. "Then tell me what the fuck is going on."

Monkey sighed. On some level he had known this conversation was coming, but that didn't make him any more prepared for it. For a moment, he just stared at the formerly blue haired woman. She replied by stretching out on the grass, her head resting against Monkey's leg and her hands folded on her stomach. The position was familiar and, as he had done before Core had been taken, he rested one hand on her head, fingers sliding into her hair. They sat like that for a few moments, their minds both wandering back several years.

"I got caught by slavers and was on a ship on the way to Pyramid," Monkey said suddenly. Core rolled her blue-green eyes up to Monkey, signalling him to continue. "Something went wrong with the ship—I think it was Trip's doing. I escaped and so did she, but I got knocked unconscious. When I woke up, she had the headband on me and told me that if I killed her or got too far away. She wanted me to help her get back home because she knew she couldn't make the journey by herself; she can't fight worth shit, but she's got some tricks that come in handy when fighting mechs. It's not so easy to fight groups of them by yourself, you know."

Core laughed. "Yeah, I know. So, what happened? Did you find her home?"

"Yeah… there was no one left."

She fell silent and sighed, her shoulders sinking into Monkey's leg. "So you decided to come west and destroy Pyramid?" she asked.

"Well first, we hijacked a giant mech with the help of a guy named Pigsy."

Core laughed again before sitting up and turning to face Monkey. The smile on her face was bright and slightly devious. "Gee Monkey. It sounds like you got up to a whole lotta trouble without me. Also sounds like a lot of fun…" She leaned a little closer, still smiling. It was a gesture made out of habit, from a time when she could have leaned in and kissed him, when she could have behaved the way she wanted. When she realized what she was doing, however, she stopped and pulled back, dropping into a kneeling position beside him. "Sorry," she breathed.

Monkey waved it off. "Are we taking you back to the coast? To your colony?" he asked, changing the subject.

Core nodded. "I would like to go home," she said with longing in her voice. "But we could have the same situation Trip did. It's been two years since I saw anyone, Monkey. What if they're not there anymore? What if they're dead? Or what if they were at Pyramid and I ran right past them?"

"Core," Monkey said in a commanding tone that staved off the coming hysteria. "Core, we don't really have a choice anymore. We're out here in the middle of nowhere without a plan. Might as well head for the coast."

Core flopped back on the ground and nodded.

* * *

**Author's Note.**

* * *

Still don't fear. Still not breaking up Monkey and Trip.

I really don't have anything else to say about this one, other than enjoy. I'm still super psyched that people like this fic.

* * *

**Next Chapter: Farther West.**


	11. Chapter Eleven: Farther West

I do not own **Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. **I do own Core and her back story and the parts of the plot that aren't in the game. This fic spawned largely from my dissatisfaction with the ending of the game. It was an awesome game and I didn't want it to end. So I decided to write a fic. It's rated for language and violence mostly, but also for some sexual scenes.

* * *

**Enslaved: Marks of the Past.  
**Chapter Eleven: Farther West.

* * *

By the time Trip had awoken and they had set off again, the sun was high in the sky and the heat was approaching unbearable. Luckily, they had the river to follow, and it was much more enjoyable walking beside the water than trekking across the hot, unrelenting sand. For a long time, they walked in silence, all of them glad to have a purpose, a goal to work towards. Monkey and Trip had both secretly been wondering what was to become of them after defeating Pyramid and Core had just wanted something real to work for; something real that she could actually obtain. The more time she spent with Monkey, the more Core was realizing how hard it was to put the past behind her, especially when those memories were all that had kept her sane when she had been living in the artificial construct of the Pyramid world. As they walked, Core fought to keep her eyes on her feet, on the grass, on the water—on anything except Monkey.

In her mad attempt to keep her eyes to themselves, Core found herself staring at the bizarre circular scars her and Monkey both had been rewarded with when fighting mechs and slavers. She had never been able to pinpoint the exact source of the wounds, but she remembered them hurting like a bitch when they'd been fresh, more so than any of the other injuries and there had been about a million of those. She remembered a particularly nasty fight when she'd been hit with some sort of energy weapon and left unable to use her entire left side. Core had fallen flat on her face, trying uselessly to drag herself out of the line of fire as Monkey and her brothers had battled on; in that moment, she had been sure she was going to die. Until Monkey had come out of nowhere and saved her ass.

He had done that a lot, actually. People called him reckless and rash, but that had really been Core's area of expertise. She had run headlong into every situation without thinking, and that was exactly how she had almost got herself killed two years ago.

"Core?"

The sudden intrusion of a voice jolted Core from her thoughts and she looked around, blue-green eyes wide. It took her a moment to realize Trip had spoken. "Yeah?" she asked as the moment of panic passed.

"What was it like inside Pyramid's world?" Trip asked, voice timid, like she was afraid of Core lashing out.

The blonde considered doing just that, but after a moment, she inhaled deeply and reminded herself that Trip was probably just curious. Who wouldn't be? "It was... uncomfortable. For me, anyways." Core stretched her arms back as far as they would go, her back cracking in response. "It was too perfect. Too peaceful." She took the look trip was giving her in stride, the edge of a smile creeping into face. "I know how weird that sounds, but for me, from someone used to chasing mechs, to looking for a fight—" here, her eyes drifted to Monkey's back, several steps ahead of them and she sighed "—someone who isn't used to peaceful days, it was dreadful."

If Trip caught Core's wandering eyes, she didn't say anything. Instead, she asked, "How did you deal with it?"

Core shrugged and was surprised to find herself rather comfortable discussing the topic. Perhaps she should have shared the story earlier, perhaps she should have explained why she was so happy to be free; again, her eyes drifted unbidden back to Monkey and to the gleam of the slave headband that she could see near the nape of his neck. He wasn't free. But he had made that choice. "At first, I tried to blend in, to have a normal life. I tried to want what everyone else seemed to want, but it was no good. The people I met were perfectly nice and a few them really tried to help me adjust, but I guess I was just too stubborn." At that, Trip smiled and so did Core. "I clung to what I could remember of my life out here, of the life I had left behind and just… somehow pushed through every day, hoping that one day I could return to my actual life and…" Core let her voice drift off, shrugging to cover the lapse.

"You were hoping you could return to everything and… everyone you had left behind, weren't you?"

Core sighed. So much for trying to be delicate about the whole thing. "Yeah, I was."

For a moment, Trip looked like she was going to say something, but she clamped her mouth shut and shook her head slightly, her red hair bouncing about her shoulders. "I'm… sorry that you lost so much, Core."

Core shrugged again. "Don't worry about it. I'm alive, and that's more than I'd started to hope for locked up in there."

Trip nodded and gave Core the biggest smile she could in the slightly awkward moment. "Aren't you tired of always fighting? I would have thought some peace would have come as a nice break."

"That's what Pyramid thought, too, and for a while, the quiet was nice. Until I got bored. Sure, there was lots to do, but nothing could replace the rush I got from fighting, and I tried to find something, I really did." Core coughed, the sensory memory of the black goo the Pyramid machine had left in her lungs coming back. "When you pulled the plug and we were free… I'm pretty sure I was just about to go insane in there, so thank you Trip. Thanks for destroying Pyramid."

Trip gave a bitter laugh. "You seem to be the only person who was thankful for it."

"Yeah, well I think we've established I'm not exactly normal."

That got a laugh from Trip, a real laugh. When the moment had passed, she ran her fingers back through her hair, pulling some of it over her shoulder. "Monkey mentioned something about your sister…"

"Bo. Yeah, I thought you were here when I first go out. Sorry for attacking you like that, by the way."

"It's okay. I wasn't hurt or anything. You just scared me. Is your sister…?"

"Alive? No. She was killed when a group of the kids at the colony decided it was a good idea to go outside and play. They wandered too far from the colony and were attacked by mechs. None of the kids survived."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

Core shrugged once more, afraid to test her voice. When she had managed to put the thoughts of her dead sister from her mind, she said, "I was so delirious when I got out of the machine that I thought you were her. Your hair is the same colour as hers. She wanted to have red hair as bright as mine was blue." Core picked up the end of her hair that was still twisted into a dreadlock and still a bright cerulean colour. "That was so long ago."

* * *

**Author's Note.**

* * *

Voila, another chapter! Only four more to go in this one.

I think this is the first fic I've written that has stuck to the actual planning. Normally, I end up changing things. Huh.

Enjoy.

* * *

**Next Chapter: The City by The Bay.**


	12. Chapter Twelve: The City by The Bay

I do not own **Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. **I do own Core and her back story and the parts of the plot that aren't in the game. This fic spawned largely from my dissatisfaction with the ending of the game. It was an awesome game and I didn't want it to end. So I decided to write a fic. It's rated for language and violence mostly, but also for some sexual scenes.

* * *

**Enslaved: Marks of the Past.  
**Chapter Twelve: The City by the Bay.

* * *

Soon enough, the ground beneath their feet began to turn rocky and green. The sand grew more coarse and darkened until it was rich soil and the lushness that surrounded the river began to spread outwards, overtaking the bare ground, and the trees grew into thick, young forests encroaching on what used to be a great city; broken, twisted and collapsed ruins could be seen everywhere, everything covered in a layer of green that looked bright against the blue of the ocean. For Trip, it looked much like the East had, except there were more hills and taller, older trees. For Monkey, it was a sight he hadn't seen in a long time and it almost brought a smile to his mouth. For Core, it was home and she couldn't keep the smile off her face.

She took several steps towards the edge of the rise they were standing on, but it wasn't long before she started running towards the ruins, laughter bubbling past her lips. With the exception of when they'd left Pyramid, Trip didn't think she'd ever seen Core look so… happy. But Monkey caught her with an arm around her waist and pulled her back, the motion hard enough to pull her feet off the ground. A beastly howl escaped her throat and she flailed, beating at Monkey ineffectually with her hands and heels.

"PUT ME DOWN!" she barked, trying to throw her head back into Monkey's face. "LET ME GO MONKEY!"

He struggled to get a hold on Core, but finally managed to wrap his arms around her loosely. "I'm not going to let you go, Core! Calm down!"

"FUCK YOU! PUT ME DOWN! I WANT TO GO HOME!"

Trip watched Monkey and Core struggling and she wanted to do something, but she didn't know what; not that she could think of anything she could do. Both Monkey and Core were stronger than she was and had more experience fighting. So she hung back and waited for something she could do to help.

She felt for Core; she knew what it was like to want to go home more than you wanted to be alive. She knew what it was like to be so close to everything you wanted, only to have it ripped away at the last moment. Trip hoped they would find her colony intact, find her family waiting, but there was that nagging feeling that they might not. On the other hand, Trip also knew that Monkey was right, that Core couldn't just run there. They had no idea what was hiding in the ruins, what could attack them at any moment. It was better to stay where they were and scope out the situation before rushing in. Regardless, Trip knew anything she said would go unheard, so she continued to stand by and wait.

Monkey currently had Core in a headlock and was trying to wrestle her to the ground. She was putting up a good fight, her strong hands were wrapped his arms and her muscles were flexing as she tried to pry herself free. Core was screaming wordlessly, her face turning red with the exertion. There were thin streams of blood running down Monkey's arms where Core's nails had dug into his flesh and she had managed to land a couple hits.

"Monkey!" she screamed, voice guttural. Core almost looked like she was going to cry.

"Core!" he barked, mouth close to her ear. The noise made her jump and gave Monkey the moment he wanted. He finally drove one of his feet into the back her to her knee, an arm still around her throat. She dropped quickly, groaning when her knees struck the dirt. "Calm down or the noise you're making will bring the mechs down on us! You'll get us all killed! You can't just go running in there!"

The reality of it finally seemed to break through her hysteria. "But…" she gasped. "I'm so close!"

"I know," Monkey said, his voice quieter than it had been. It was almost a tender moment; Trip could see real caring in his eyes. Monkey shifted his grip so he wasn't close to strangling her anymore and helped her lower herself to the ground. "I know, but you've gotta wait. We'll get you home," Monkey said, looking over his shoulder at Trip. He had said something similar to Trip when they had been making their way to her home. Monkey hadn't wanted the outcome they'd gotten then and he didn't want it now. Trip gave him a small, reassuring smile.

Without thinking much about it, Trip sent up her dragonfly, the little machine taking wing over the area of ruins immediately in front of them. Trip pushed it as far as she dared; after its excursion in the desert, it was hard to tell how far the thing would go before it died completely. If it even had a breaking point. Trip didn't want to find out though. The dragonfly revealed a lot of rubble and debris, but no mechs. That was a relief. Once the dragonfly had returned, Trip walked over to where Core and Monkey were sitting on the ground, Core staring at the ruins and Monkey keeping his eyes on the woman. She dropped to the ground beside them.

"Did you see anything?" Monkey asked because Core was too absorbed with her staring.

Trip shook her head. "There was nothing in the area I scanned." She pointed to the ruins and drew a sort of half circle. "I looked in all that. I figured it would be enough for the first bit of walking. I can keep the dragonfly up as we're going…"

Monkey looked at Core. "Good. Let's get going. Get into the ruins before the sun sets."

Trip followed Monkey's gaze, a small sigh escaping her lips. "Is she going to be okay?"

"As long as we find her colony intact and her family alive, then yeah, she'll be fine."

* * *

**Author's Note.**

* * *

So I'm going to finish this one off because there's only three chapters left, and then I'll have achieved my goal of only having three fics on the go at once! Woo-hoo! Achievement! …unlocked?

Sure, for 50G! It shall be called… Fulfilling your goal. I guess.

Okay, now I'm just rambling. I will shut up now.

Enjoy.

* * *

**Next Chapter: Underground.**


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Underground

I do not own **Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. **I do own Core and her back story and the parts of the plot that aren't in the game. This fic spawned largely from my dissatisfaction with the ending of the game. It was an awesome game and I didn't want it to end. So I decided to write a fic. It's rated for language and violence mostly.

* * *

**Enslaved: Marks of the Past.  
**Chapter Thirteen: Underground.

* * *

Monkey paused as he scrambled up the next pile of rubble and looked down at the bloody handprint. It didn't belong to him, and it didn't belong to Trip, who was climbing behind him. He looked up at Core, who was closing in on the summit of what used to be a building and gave a barely perceptible sigh. She had always been like this: never stopping when she had her mind set on something, even when she was injured. When he focused, he could see the blood on her hands and arms and feet. They had been moving through the rubble for two days and it hadn't been easy to get her to stop last night.

"You're getting soft," he yelled up.

"Fuck you," she called over her shoulder before continuing to climb.

Trip had appeared at Monkey's side and she looked down at the handprint. Then she looked at Monkey and then up to Core, her eyes wide. "Core, you're bleeding!" she called.

"I'll get it looked at when I'm home." Core looked back at Trip and then dropped down the other side of the pile of rubble.

The group fell into silence again as they continued to climb over the rubble. There was a road somewhere up ahead, and the going would be easier from there but so far, it had been a lot of climbing up and down. Core was sure she knew where they were and how to get to her colony, but Monkey and Trip were being cautious. She had sent up the dragonfly several times, to check their progress and to look for mechs. Core had remained ahead of them since they'd entered the city, sometimes far enough to almost be invisible. When she had vanished behind a chuck of rock or around a corner, Monkey had run ahead, yelling for her to slow down.

Eventually Core stopped moving so quickly. Eventually she stopped. She stood in front of what looked like just another pile of rubble, blood dripping from her fingers and pooling on the concrete around her feet; she had a deep gash on one foot. Trip and Monkey caught up with her and stood to either side, staring at the same thing Core was.

There were children crawling over the rubble, laughing and calling to one another as they climbed.

Core laughed and the children turned towards the new noise. One of them called out a name and three young men climbed out of the mess, disbelief on their faces; disbelief that turned to surprise and then relief and happiness. The tallest one ran towards them and Trip was alarmed until she saw that Monkey wasn't freaking out and Core was smiling. The three men had to be her brothers.

"CORE!" the tallest one yelled. He swept her into his arms and hugged her tightly. "How are you still alive?"

But Core couldn't answer. She was being passed from brother to brother and then they were all hugging her at the same time, Core's blue and blonde hair vanishing beneath a pile of leather, muscle and the brightly coloured hair of her brothers.

"Was the bright hair a family thing?" Trip asked; the sarcasm was dampened by the bright smile on her face.

Monkey just gave her a small smile.

After all the greetings had finished, Core's brothers—whose names were Pike, Badger and Twist and who had purple, green and yellow hair respectively—led them towards the rubble. Pike, the oldest and tallest of the three, revealed a hidden doorway at the end of a twisting passage. It opened onto an expansive room filled the remains of cushioned seats and a stage at one end. There were people sitting in circles and there was a fire on the stage; the smoke curled up towards the ceiling of rubble and dispersed through many holes. The smells of cooking meat reached their noses.

"You arrived just in time for dinner sis," Badger jibed.

"Although I don't know if we'll have enough for Monkey." Twist's smile spoke volumes about the past.

They settled themselves near the big fire and an elderly woman attended Core's injuries and then saw to the others to make sure they weren't suffering more from their long journey than they showed. Monkey went off with Core's brothers to explore and see the colony, leaving Core and Trip alone.

Core couldn't stop smiling. "I can't believe I'm home," she said.

Trip smiled at her. "I'm glad we found it. What are you going to do now?"

The older woman reclined onto a sloped piece of rock behind her and crossed her arms over her exposed stomach. "I don't know. Stay here, hunt with my brothers again…"

A sudden thought struck Trip as she listened to Core go on about her brothers, who were evidently in charge of the colony now and as she watched Monkey across the space. She had never seen him around people, other than herself and Pigsy, but talking to the other warrior-like men, he looked almost… normal. Maybe he would want to stay there, with others like him. With… Core.

"What's that look on your face for?" Core asked.

"What? Oh." Trip shook her head. "I was just thinking..."

"That Monkey might want to stay here." She couldn't keep all the emotion out of her voice, as much as she didn't want Core to hear.

Core smiled and almost laughed; a few giggles did escape her mouth. "Trip, you have nothing to worry about." The blonde pushed herself into a sitting position, groaning slightly as she did so; the pain was finally getting to her. "Even if Monkey did want to stay, he would ask you to stay to. This place doesn't have everything for him anymore. Trip, Monkey and I… as much as I want it to happen again, it won't. We were a long time ago, a lifetime ago. He doesn't want me anymore."

"You… you…"

"Don't believe me, but it's the truth. You enslaved him, but you made him care about you. He wouldn't have stayed with you cross-country with you if he didn't, and he wouldn't have let you leave that headband on him."

Trip opened her mouth to say something else, but they were interrupted by Badger bringing plates of food. Soon, they were surrounded by people, young and old, all gathering to eat. The conversation was loud and full of laughter, people excited about the return of Core and the news that Pyramid was gone, and all thoughts of the future were pushed from Trip's mind.

* * *

**Author's Note.**

* * *

So I've had some serious thoughts about my fanfiction. My original writing is becoming increasingly more important to me and I've been spending more and more time with it, and fanfiction seems to be less and less important. I don't know what it means for my fanfiction yet, but I'm going to at least try and finish everything I have on the go right now.

Maybe I just need to focus on one project at once? That's what most people do. What most SANE people do. How I ever got up to five fanfictions at once, I will never know.

Anyways, hopefully you will enjoy this. Two chapters left!

By the way, can you guess what building Core's colony is in? I'll reveal the answer in the next chapter!

* * *

**Next Chapter: A Private Moment.**


	14. Chapter Fourteen: A Private Moment

I do not own **Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. **I do own Core and her back story and the parts of the plot that aren't in the game. This fic spawned largely from my dissatisfaction with the ending of the game. It was an awesome game and I didn't want it to end. So I decided to write a fic. It's rated for language and violence mostly, but also for some sexual scenes.

* * *

**Enslaved: Marks of the Past.  
**Chapter Fourteen: A Private Moment.

* * *

"Where'd Trip go?"

Core gestured vaguely as she dropped to the floor beside Monkey. Trip was talking to a group of young-looking people and they were all smiling, talking with their hands and, occasionally, laughing. "I introduced her to the tech-oriented people here. They seem to be getting on well. They were talking about the security systems in place around the colony when I left them. That stuff is way over my head." She smiled at Monkey and stretched out on the pile of blankets that served as a bed. Her eyes never left the flames of the small fire. She was so happy to be home; it almost felt like she had never left. "How are you doing?"

She heard Monkey shift, the blankets he was sitting on rustling as he moved. "It's good to have a safe place to rest for a while. Good food to eat and other people around."

"Yeah, I bet. Although traveling cross-country in a giant mech can't have been… unsafe."

"After we cleared out the other mechs on board, it was great."

"Of course. I really wish I could have seen that thing… a giant mech. Who would have thought they could make those. I mean, the dogs are big enough, but the size of mech you're describing…" Core rolled onto her back so she could look up at Monkey. He was upside down to her eyes, but the position still allowed her to smile at him, although it may have looked more like a frown to him. "That would have been awesome." She laughed a bit and smiled wider. "I'm glad you found me Monkey. If you hadn't, I imagine I would have ended up wandering around lost in the desert until I was squished by mechs because I couldn't fight them anymore." They had a moment where they just stared at each other, a small smile remaining on her lips the entire time. "When I was in there… in Pyramid… it got to a point where all that kept me going was thinking about getting back to you; to hunting mechs, to running around the ruins, to the way things used to be." The smile turned whimsical and Core turned her blue-green eyes back to the flames.

Monkey reached forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. She leaned into the contact, her head against his arm. "You said people had lives in Pyramid. Why didn't you?"

When Monkey's hand slipped off her shoulder, Core reached back to grab it. He didn't fight her. "I tried. I tried hard to enjoy what everyone else was calling perfection, but no one seemed to be able to handle me." She laughed. "Can you believe that?"

"Yeah actually, I can."

Core attempted to reach back and slap Monkey, but the awkwardness of the position didn't facilitate her desires. So she rose onto her knees and punched him playfully in the shoulder before dropping onto her butt beside him. She laughed and settled herself so she was sitting close enough for their arms to press together. "I had drawings of everything in my house in Pyramid. Everything I could remembers. Bo, Pike, Badger, Twist, my mom and dad, this place, the mechs we'd hunted and you. I fought to hold onto what I looked like—you could actually lose your scars and birthmarks… you could change yourself if you wanted to. You could become what you thought was perfect."

"You held on to your scars and tattoos?"

"Of course I did. They're reminders of my life. Of my battles." She brought her knees up to her chest and leaned her head on them so she could look at Monkey. "Why did you keep travelling after the attack? Why didn't you find another colony?"

Monkey shrugged. "None of the remaining colonies that I found wanted my help. They had their own people to protect them, their own warriors. Although, none had hunters." He put his hand on her cheek, thumb running back and forth over her skin. The slave headband glimmered in the firelight and would have drawn most people's eyes, but Core's were locked on Monkey's face. "The families reminded me too much of you and yours. I couldn't have stayed even if they had wanted me."

Again, they fell into a moment of silence, Monkey's hand still on her cheek. The moment passed fairly quickly however, when not too long ago, it would have escalated into something more, into something Core badly wanted. Again, Core was almost overcome with the desire to act like she would have, but she stopped herself and remained sitting still, save leaning into his hand. His thumb traced her lower lip briefly before he pulled his hand back and turned his gaze to the fire. The silence continued for a few minutes longer, until Core couldn't stand it anymore.

"I like Trip," Core said. She wasn't sure if Monkey had even really cared about that fact, but she felt it was necessary to say, to let him know that she did like the redhead who had enslaved him. "She's… different."

"You were different, too."

"Yeah, I was, but you and I are exactly alike. She's different from us." Her eyes finally fell from the side of Monkey's face to the flames he was staring so intently at. "She's changed you, you know. You're not as unyielding as you used to be."

As if to prove her wrong, Monkey returned the playful punch to the shoulder. Core laughed and leaned into Monkey again. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a one-armed hug. "I did miss you, Core."

"I know you did."

* * *

**Author's Note.**

* * *

So I think working on one project at a time is the answer… So that's what I'm going to be doing. Finishing up all the fics I have on the go one at a time and the rest, if I feel like writing more, I will work on them ONE AT A TIME. *determined*

Core's colony is located in the ruins of the Kodak Theatre, the place where they have the Oscars. I'm a bit of an Oscar nut and around January, I start getting stupidly excited for award show season for movies. This year, I'm excited for the Emmys as well because Game of Thrones is nominated. Not that you guys care about that.

And Shauna, even if you have nothing to say, give me stupid reviews so my review number goes up!

One chapter left!

Enjoy!

* * *

**Next Chapter: Goodbyes.**


	15. Chapter Fifteen: Goodbyes

EI do not own **Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. **I do own Core and her back story and the parts of the plot that aren't in the game. This fic spawned largely from my dissatisfaction with the ending of the game. It was an awesome game and I didn't want it to end. So I decided to write a fic. It's rated for language and violence mostly, but also for some sexual scenes.

* * *

**Enslaved: Marks of the Past.  
**Chapter Fifteen: Goodbyes.

* * *

Trip and Monkey stayed with Core and her colony for several days after their arrival.

Monkey and Core's brothers went mech—and food—hunting and brought back lots of supplies and food—just like old times—and Trip spent her time with the techheads as they shared all their secrets and tweaked the various systems in and around the colony; they were all very interested in her dragonfly. Core spent most of the time sleeping and healing. All her exhaustion and those minor injuries that hadn't bothered her too much on the journey her seemed to catch up all at once and knocked her on her ass. When she was awake, her brothers filled her in on all she had missed while she'd been in Pyramid: her father's death in a mech attack, the birth of several new babies and the growth of the children she'd known into teenagers and young adults, the comings and goings of groups of mechs and the success of the gardens their mother had implemented before her death. Trip and Monkey usually met up with Core for meals and when it rained and they stayed at the colony until it was almost too hard to leave the lively, peaceful place.

But eventually, they decided it was time to move on and the worst part was, Core knew she couldn't go with them.

Currently, Trip, Monkey and Core were sitting on a particularly high pile of rubble outside the colony, watching the sun rise gold and fat and warm above the city as they ate breakfast. The day was going to be mild and clear: good for travel. Where Monkey and Trip were going, they had no idea. Exploring, looking for colonies, whatever came up, it didn't matter as long as they kept going. They both agreed they had to get moving, but they were unspecific as to why and Core didn't care why. She just cared that they were leaving and she'd barely gotten to see them.

"Are you sure you guys don't want to stay? Even for just a couple more days?" Core asked for about the hundredth time that early, early morning. "We could really use people like you around here, especially with all the new kids running around."

"There are enough people around her Core, even without the kids," Monkey said. "All we'll do is get in the way of how your brothers have this place running. They did a good job taking over for your father."

"You know that's not true. We'd find a place for you and Badger, Pike and Twist would love to have another meathead around." Core sighed through a smile and leaned on her knees, pulled up in front of her. "I know you guys want to keep on the move, but… it won't be the same without you here. You're the only two people I've been around since I got out of Pyramid. Hell, you saved me from that hell hole."

Trip reached over and placed a hand on Core's shoulder. "Aside from a few changes, you've got your whole life back and three brothers who love you and will hardly leave you alone. Core, you can't leave. It would destroy your brothers." It was amazing how Trip could pick up on the unspoken suggestion when she hadn't known Core that long.

"I know I'll be fine here, and I want to be here, but…" Here, Core sighed and stretched out on the rock, closing her eyes against the rising sun. She didn't finish her thought. She didn't have an end to the thought.

The trio fell into silence and watched the sunrise, the pale golden light glinting off the remains of glass and metal amongst the stone. All the colour was, for the moment, bleached out of the world and everything was white, black or gold, brilliant and warm. As they watched, the colour began to leak back into the world. The green came first, the trees, vines and moss that covered everything turning their brilliant, jewel-toned shades, followed by the blue of the sky and the water behind them. When the world was almost back to right, Core pushed herself to her feet, standing with her hands on her hips.

"Well I guess you guys should head out, if you're going."

The trio descended to the ground, Trip and Monkey bringing packs with food and water and any other supplies they might need and the colony had to spare. At the bottom of the hill of rubble, Core hugged Trip.

"Take care of Monkey," she said quietly.

Caught a little off-guard, Trip returned the hug and nodded into Core's freshly-dyed blue hair. "I will. Don't worry." She laughed as she pulled back and saw the look on Core's face. "I don't think we get into as much trouble as the two of you did," she added with a grin.

Core laughed at that before she turned to Monkey. She hugged her old friend tightly and was relieved when he returned the gesture. Aside from certain moments when they'd been more than friends and when she'd seen him after getting out of Pyramid, they had never hugged. He just wasn't a huggy person. As she pushed back from him, she lightly kissed his cheek. "Don't get into too much trouble without me."

Monkey cracked a small smile and almost laughed. "I won't."

Core took a step back from her two companions. "You guys are always welcome back here."

Monkey nodded and turned towards the makeshift road that would lead them out of the ruined city. Trip on the other hand, hugged Core again and said her goodbyes before following Monkey as he started out. Core stood there and watched until they were gone and then she climbed back up the high pile of rubble and watched for a long time more, as Trip and Monkey shrunk smaller and smaller. As she watched, she thought of all her favourite memories of Monkey: when they were hunting, laughing, fighting, everything. And then she thought of Trip and the little she knew about the redhead and how much she wished she could get to know her better.

Eventually, Monkey and Trip were gone and only did Core go back inside.

* * *

**Author's Note.**

* * *

Thank you guys so, so much for reading and loving this story! I'm so glad so many people enjoyed it! I love you all!

Hopefully the ending was to your liking!

Enjoy!

P.S. I don't know why Monkey and Trip would have to leave, but it sounded like something they would have to do, so I put it in there. You can fill in the reason on your own, I guess.

* * *

**Next Chapter: There isn't one! Now hopefully they'll make a sequel to the game!**


End file.
